Thursday, August 20, 2009

If you are from the Philly area I am pretty sure that you have heard about "Tex" the parrot by now. On the other hand, if you are from the Philly area, I am pretty sure that you have never heard of Hassani Campbell. (This is unless, of course, you happen to read Afrospear blogs.) In fact, if you are from damn near anywhere in the country you have probably never heard of Hassani Campbell. Why? Well, Hassani isn't female, and he isn't white, so what do you think?

But let me google Nancy Grace and Hassani Campbell, because I just know that she (Nancy) is all over it. Nancy Grace makes a nice living exploiting those who are missing and sometimes she even brings positive attention to their plight. So I know that Nancy will be giving some coverage of poor Hassani's situation.....nope, just one hit and it's something from her Facebook page.

Now I don't know how this story will play itself out. Sadly, I am guessing that like so many similar stories, it will not have a happy ending. We can only hope for the best. What I do know is that it will not get wall to wall coverage on the news programs like this one; this one; this one; this one; and......ahh what the hell, you get the picture.

You know damn well that honkey ass bitch nancy grace ain't covering shit to do with no Black kid.That's why I laughmy ass off when of their little devil spawn gets taken out. Fuck them all.I hope each and every one of those devils gets what's coming to them.

I saw this on the news and hate hearing about these types of stories, because it's hard for me to shake off that melancholy feeling that comes with it. It's so heartbreaking. Children are too precious. I have no sympathy for those sick-minded people that mistreat, abuse, harm, or hurt children--none whatsoever!

Anon11:08pm "You know damn well that honkey ass bitch nancy grace ain't covering shit to do with no Black kid.That's why I laughmy ass off when of their little devil spawn gets taken out. Fuck them all."

Nancy Grace DID cover the story, Anon. That's what happens when you are blinded by your hatred of others. You sound just as inhumane as the people you hate.

The foster father of a missing 5-year-old boy with cerebral palsy sent an angry text message threatening to leave the child alone at a BART platform just 10 days before Hasanni Campbell vanished, according to court documents released today.

In addition, Louis Ross "voiced some misgivings" about caring for a disabled child when he talked to officers investigating the child's Aug. 10 disappearance, according to a statement that Oakland police submitted to justify obtaining a search warrant of Ross' Fremont home.

According to the police account, Ross sent an expletive-laden text message July 31 to Jennifer Campbell, his fiancee and the aunt and foster mother of Hasanni.

"This is f- over, I will watch her but he will be out on the BART and its your responsibility to hey (sic) him so f - you," Ross texted at 9:50 a.m., police said. The references appear to be to Hasanni and his 1-year-old sister.

Ross reported Aug. 10 that the boy had vanished from outside a shoe store on College Avenue in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood where Campbell was working. Ross said he had briefly left the boy outside when he went around to the front of the store.

Police have searched the neighborhood, Ross' home, a Hayward scrap yard that he visited earlier in the day and local parks, but have not found the boy.

A neighbor in Fremont told police that Hasanni had not been seen for about two weeks before Ross reported him missing.

Please. Nancy is just like a pedophile. She has a fetish for little albino girls under 7.

*eye roll*

The ONLY reason she gave that man the time of day is because she's had SO MANY albino children on her show that she needs a little token melanated baby. Now that she did her civic duty to us "kneeeeeee-groooowz" she can go back to waxing poetic on the plight of another recessive child.

Grinder, how come you don't attack Mr. R,, Frank and the other anti-black racist anonys for the constant racist things they say?

Maybe for the same reason Field doesn't address all the cracka this, cracka that, albino children, I hate whites, etc. comments that pop up here. This blog attracts the nut cases from all over, haven't you noticed?

Sorry to hear about this. It is a testament to the fact that the foster care system is broken in our state. From personal experience, many foster parents are drug users, child abusers, pedophiles and those who only want that government money each month. Any normal person with common sense could tell these people are up to no good. YET the county CPS routinely gives these people custody and asks them to provide CARE for these poor children.

This ought to be a call to increase standards for those who wish to foster and or adopt children. God bless and keep that boy, wherever he is.

One of the top stories on CNN is about an elderly black man who was attacked by 3 white teenagers. I know of 4 attacks in my city in which elderly white people were attacked by groups of black teenagers. In 3 cases it lead to their deaths. It didn't make CNN. RACISSMM. So beating an old black guy makes headline news... murdering an elderly white guy doesn't. Two I can name if you want to reference it: Tubaman, James Paroline. The city is Seattle.

" From personal experience, many foster parents are drug users, child abusers, pedophiles and those who only want that government money each month. Any normal person with common sense could tell these people are up to no good. YET the county CPS routinely gives these people custody and asks them to provide CARE for these poor children"

m.r. i AM foster care social worker and you are WAY off point. There are millions of children in foster care as we speak. They are being loved and care for properly. Yes in all sections of society there are bad apples. But majority of them are trying to do the best they can with the little resources they receive from CYD. Trust me, the money isnt alot. just enough to do room and board. Let me tell you these children come with alot of residual (attachment d/o, adhd, mental illness, physical illness, drugs, truancy, abandonment and much more) than foster parents bargain for. They literaly step in and do doctor appts., school appts, visitations putting their own family needs second until the situation stabilize - if ever.

So yes, you may hear about several a cases a year but trust me when i tell you many foster parents are going above and beyond.

FN, this is the first i am hearing of it, i will do my part and pass it along. My prayers are with him.

I remember seeing this story about this poor kid on network news. All signs point to someone in the family having something to do with his disappearance, so if you have people beating the racism drums cause of lack of coverage, just wait til they charge a family member with the little boy's death. We as black people need to learn to use that word racism like you throw around a manhole cover; very rarely and only when absolutely necessary. We really need to be more educated about that word, racism, but I hope that the little boy is found alive but I expect the worst.

Goggle and these damn spammers, I swear. I know they are pissed at me, but this is crazy. :)

Anon. no one is claiming racism when it comes to the disapearance of this poor child. (More than likely we will hear that someone very close to him had something to do with him missing.) We claim racism,classism,sexism; whatever you want to call it, in how his story is being covered.

That Clinton Avenue 5 story's actually being made part of a sci-fi/horror novel by a very well known African American author and friend of mine.

The specific coverage--Nancy Grace is getting better at this only in response to criticsm following the Natalie Holloway overkill. But the man stories are always celebrities, white females dead and white males who killed them then ran off, or got away w/it.

"We as black people need to learn to use that word racism like you throw around a manhole cover; very rarely and only when absolutely necessary."

And about the white folk who direct the word 'racism' toward any black who says something they don't like or who suggests that America is something less than perfect......what advise do you have for them?

This missing boy's foster mother is actually his aunt. His mother reportedly has serious issues of some sort. This child was not dumped in an anonymous foster home.

I don't know what the outcome will be and the fact that tracker dogs couldn't detect a scent where he allegedly disappeared raises the question of whether he was ever there. The police have received few tips which raises more questions. The area where he disappeared has a lot of foot and auto traffic and there is a restaurant/bar across the street. It was 4:15 in the afternoon when he was reported missing. This is an upscale part of Oakland and not an area where people are likely to not want to get involved. The family lives in Fremont, about 25 miles down the road from Oakland.

I know the area well where he disappeared. The shoe store that his foster mother manages is where I do a lot of my shopping. His foster mother has sold me shoes. She always sends me a hand written thank you note in the mail. She is a very sweet woman and I hope like heck that whatever happened to this child, she had no part in it. I can't imagine that she did. Seeing her on television is really heartbreaking.

Hassani is not a little a girl. And seriously, who give a fark about Nancy Grace. I would point out that the Oakland black community has done absolutely nothing to help this family. Not the clergy, not any group, nobody.

There are supposed to be vigils every Monday at 4:15 for Hassani at the location where he allegedly disappeared until he is found. If you can attend, I'm sure it would be much appreciated by Hassani's loved ones. I don't know the cross street but it's just off College Ave., one block over from Claremont going toward the Rockridge BART Station. It's around the corner from Shuz on College, where Hassani's foster mother works.

Is the Ebay Express covering this story?Oaktowners may have to hold their nose while keeping the local FOXNews outlet (KTVU) honest and on top of this story, notwithstanding the ocean of violence and domestic terrorism taking place on the streets of Oaktown and Richmond. Our hearts go out to Hassani's people; along with prayers for a positive outcome.

People don't bat an eye because this type of horrible stuff is par for the course in Oakland. I wonder if somebody knew what had happened to the kid would they follow the offical Oakland, stop snitching policy and say nothing?

Uptown,

Why lay responsibility on Nancy Grace? What about this kid's father? Where the hell is he?

While African-American children comprise only 9 percent of the county's child population, 41 percent of the children in foster care are African-American.

That's a god damn disgrace! Why doesn't anybody want to do something about that number? Is that Nancy fuckin Grace's fault too?

Having live in oakland before I'm well aware of the bs that goes on there, from the waste-of-space mayor down. I remember when Chauncey Bailey was killed, one of the best damn, black journalists on the coast, I waited for the marches-they never came. When some piece of shit who raped a little black girl was killed (after killing 3 police men) people marched against the police! That's why decent folks are fleeing Oakland in droves.

our MOST URGENTLY DOOMING problem as a nation is horrid parenting/turbo breeding

but most voters would rather slay sterile/childless gays like me or war against gay marriage than deal with what is flooding foster care systems & ruining public schools & filling jails and prisons all over the usa!!!

and i have never seen any whites EVER force any blacks to breedsince slavery!

Do you accept any responsibility for the poor test scores and substandard graduation rates for the Oakland School District?

Do you have nay idea what it's like to have parent teacher conferences with almost no two parent households? Have any idea what it's like to look at an aunt or grandmother who's raising a kids because the parents are dead or in prison and they are completely overwhelmed? How about kids who can't read when they get to high school? Or kids who are more worried about getting killed on the street than hitting the books?

us has NO idea about any realities other than elite pivate schools/jack and jill clubs/etc...

shame!!!

Excerpts from The Shame of a Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America by Jonathan Kozol: Pediatricians and psychiatrists may be disturbed to hear of schools where recess is truncated or abolished by the desperation to carve out a bit more time for drilling children for exams.

I thought the tests-and-standards movement had been loaded with a coarse utilitarian toxicity and a demeaning anti-human view of childhood right from the start.

By giving every particle of learning an official name, we strip it of its uniquenessFascination and delight, no matter what lip-service we may pay to them, become irrelevant distractions.

Teachers who come into elementary education with some literary background tell me that they sometimes feel they are engaging in a complicated kind of treachery, when they are forced repeatedly to excavate a piece of poetry, or any other literary work of charm or value, to extract examples of official skills that have some testable utilityNothing could be less efficient than this misappropriation of a teachers energy and hours.

The difference in too many schools like P. S. 65 is that nearly the entire school day comes to be a matter of unnatural theatrics that cannot be improvised to any degree without the risk of teachers being criticized by their superiors.

Leaving these kids so utterly adrift in time and place seemed like an act of state-determined cognitive decapitation.

In a nation in which fairness was respected, children of the poorest and least educated mothers would receive the most expensive and most costly pre-school preparation, not the least and cheapest, because children in these families need it so much more than those whose educated parents can deliver the same benefits of early learning to them in their home.

The inequities in educational provisions that we give, or do not give, these children from the starting gate are given less attention.

The look of tortured dignity in the eyes of many [educators] who had welcomed me remained as one of the most stirring memories of that experience.

I was looking at CABLE earlier and low and behold, FOX NEW'S was giving air time to the disappearance of this poor baby, but I knew it had to be a catch, and sure enough it was!

Well, as they were reporting the story, the side bar was doing a entire history of the Foster Care System/ and when it was all said and done, (FOX WICKED NEW'S) gave the amount of money the Government has to spend on Foster Care each year!!! they used this poor child as a scape goat to talk about the GOVERNMENT! they could care less about this little BLACK BOY!

Nancy Grace is Friend's with Glenn Beck and Bill O'REILLY, so what doe's that tell you about her CHARACTER?

Nancy Grace will come after her own mother, if it will get her Rating's! she has no problem with Persecuting anyone! Color is not a problem with this White Woman! if you didn't COMMIT the Crime, they say you did, when NANCY get's through Persecuting you, you best to believe, When you get in front of a Judge, you will be found Guilty!!!!!!

Now Nancy is not responsible for Black kid's in foster care, the parent's are, but, you will be surprised at the different nationality's of children in FOSTER CARE/ one of my neighbor's is a FOSTER MOM, she's black, and she has had white children and would you believe, she even had a child who's Parent's are GYPSY'S!!

Thanks, i knew as an educator you would understand. Very few outside of the teaching community have any idea what is going on in schools or with the children and their family lives. It's no wonder so few last in teaching.

Excerpts from Come on People: On the Path from Victims to Victors by Bill Cosby and Dr. Alvin Poussaint:

We remember the injustice of how slavers brought our people to America, but we have forgotten the brilliance of our response - how we sneaked around late at night and taught ourselves to read, taught ourselves secret signals to resist, taught ourselves pride and will and love. We have to draw on that history of persistence.

[The elites] are buying things for their kids $500 sneakers for what And wont spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics!

The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal. These people are not parenting.

One advantage that African-American kids have over most people in the world is the ability to speak English. It's the international language of business. To be a success anywhere on the globe, you have to speak it. But we're letting this advantage slip away too. Many of our kids don't want to speak English. In our day, we used to talk a certain way on the corner, but when we got into the house, we switched to EnglishWe used to blame the kids for talking this way until we heard some of their parents. Some black parents couldn't care less.

Most black employers we know want to see the entire community prosper. But even they don't want to hire boys who can't dress properly, and who speak as if English were a second language. When we see these boys walking around the neighborhood, we imagine them thirty or forty years down the road wandering around just as aimlessly, and we want to cry.

A mother can usually teach a daughter how to be a woman. But as much as mothers love their sons, they have difficulty showing a son how to be a man. A successful man can channel his natural aggression. Without that discipline, these sons often get into trouble at school because many teachers find it difficult to manage their "acting out" behavior. If you think we're exaggerating, talk to a teacher.

A working parent can also introduce [children] to a rather simple device that all of us hate but that most of us have learned to live with an alarm clock. Getting up when you're tired and going to school or work is not something that comes naturally to anyone. It's something that kids have to learn at home.

There are whole blocks with scarcely a married couple, whole blocks without responsible males to watch out for wayward boys, whole neighborhoods in which little girls and boys come of age without seeing up close a committed partnership and perhaps never having attended a wedding.

Certain people tell us that we are picking on the poor. Many of those who accuse us are scholars and intellectuals, upset that we are not blaming everything on white people as they do. Well, blaming only the system keeps certain black people in the limelight, but it also keeps the black poor wallowing in victimhood.

He is a cutie. I hope everything goes alright. But it doesn't seem like there's a light at the end of the tunnel for this case. I did not hear/read of this story, but from what you guys are saying its like what Farrakhan says. He chastises black women for living with men and having those men take care of children that is not their own. (I think that's one of his favorite subjects). It appears that the aunt works, so why is he wilding out because he has to pick up the kids?

I can't stand Nancy Grace. After that Georgia girl got killed she never got on the chaperone's case and niether did the mother. Plus according to my Jamaican friend these white women go to the islands and get buck wild.

The Oakland police should be walking in a horizontal line all over Oakland to find the little brother.

Top Syndicated Radio Personality Warren Ballentine Issues National Call to ActionNational Community Reinvestment Day on Sept. 4th, 2009. Ballentine Urges All of America to Reinvest in their communities!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASELeading syndicated radio host, Warren Ballentine issued call to action, deeming September 4, 2009 “National Community Reinvestment Day.” The national plan urges individuals from all across America to open an account with Black-owned banks, in their communities, on the same day (September 4th). Ballentine announced that the mission of the campaign is to galvanize consumers, business & thought leaders, social groups and individuals all across America to actively get involved in empowering and transforming their own communities.

Through active partnerships with his listeners, sponsors and supporters, Ballentine uses the power of media and communications to promote change and positively influence the lives of others. He continues to be a leading voice on issues and challenges facing Black America. Ballentine continues to spotlight issues such as racial injustice, financial literacy & economic prosperity, criminal justice, and other topics that promote social change. Warren Ballentine is a lawyer, a nationally syndicated radio host, author, and a regular on Sunday nights on the newsroom on CNN. The Warren Ballentine Show can be heard weekdays from 10AM-1PM. (check local market listing information) or visit www.truthfighters.tv.

According to this summary of a government study on Foster Care: on the higher number of African American children in foster care:

African American children were 4 times as likely to live in poverty, and their parents were unable to access services to prevent removal of the childrn;social worker bias, cultural misunderstanding and mistrust on the part of the parents also contributed to the higher rate of entering foster care, and also, kinship care, where a relative such as a grandmother on a fixed income, is lumped together with foster care, contributing to the higher apparent numbers.

I just read of a case where a mother had her baby removed by a social worker for no other reason than that the mother didn't speak English.

The foster care system needs overhauling.

I hope this child is found safe and healthy, it's possible that a biological parent or other relative has him. I hope so.

Field, I don't know about how much airtime it got but I do remember seeing this on the front page of CNN when it first happened.

As for Nancy Grace, she's one of those people that drives me crazy. I don't see how anyone can watch her. She's like Bill O except she deals in crime. She's one disgusting human.

--j

p.s. Field, there's a trial going on right now that I'm loathe to mention because of who and what it brings. It's in Kn0xville. If you know about it then that's all you need to know what I'm talking about. Have you been following? This one's going to be a cause celebre for decades to come for those who prefer pointy hats. Thank god, the families have disputed any overtones and the prosecutor is a sistah.

"Ah, but I have. You just haven't spent enough time on this blog, or you'd know that."

The only time you're offended and get hysterically defensive is when there is talk about white racism, or someone calls white people derogatory names. or someone says something 'non-PC' about the gay community.

Don't get it twisted, this always seems to be the pattern of your nature. I've been reading this blog longer than you have, and I'm a Field Negro in my own rights. You on the other hand, have always been a Johnny come lately racist detractor proven to be overwhelmed with white denial.

Westcoaststory is right, the locals have been all over this story. Sadly the little boy needs medication and I believe we're 10 days into this without his meds. I'm glad Nancy Grace isn't all over it. She seems to taint every story that comes her way. Little man is going to need some justice one way or the other and I'd rather her annoying ass wasn't in the middle of it.

And about the white folk who direct the word 'racism' toward any black who says something they don't like or who suggests that America is something less than perfect......what advise do you have for them?

Those people are ignorant, callous and blinded by the unearned privilege their pale skin affords them. They don't speak for all white people.

@La♥Incognita -- I hear ya. My mom watches Grace too on occasion. She doesn't understand why Grace drives me up the wall. Mom also watches Dobbs on occasion (though I think the birther thing may have put a stop to that). I'd argue with her and she'd say "but he criticizes both sides." She thinks he's wrong but "honest." I try to tell her that just because someone says they're criticizing both sides doesn't make it so but she thinks I'm too cynical.

I'm still trying to figure out why people confuse someone being an asshole with being honest. It's not the same thing! But I've noticed that if a talking head acts like an asshole a lot of people think that means they're honest or at least equally a jerk to all sides when they're anything but. They don't notice that these guys are picking the people and topics to be grumpy about.

j, I just left my mother's house a while ago, I think Nancy was either playing or getting ready to start. My mother was also on the phone, I think your mother might have been on the other end ready to collaborate conspiracies. LOL

Lady Cracker,What I meant was that women in poverty may not be able to access services that would assist them in keeping their children, such as substance abuse programs, or other programs that might make a difference.Also, the article linked said that Black women would be more likely to encounter color or cultural bias, that a white women would not.Also, kinship care, where a relative receives benefits from the foster care system, would make it appear that Black children remain in foster care for longer periods of time, but actually, these children are not available for adoption, they are remaining in foster care to allow a family member care for them and access services for them.There are many accounts of white women also losing their children, where services were not made available to them, there is a book called "The Girls Who Went Away" about the baby scoop era, these women's stories are so horrible and heartbreaking that I couldn't even finish reading the book.

Hi Kathy, You are so right. Have you seen the number that is given out for people who are eligible for Medicaid and that have not applied? It was something like 7 million. Most of us are not good with paperwork and trundling through the bureaucracies.

Many years ago where I worked; one of the other employees applied for and received medicaid based up his wages and it never sank into my mind that others there could have applied for Medicaid until NOW!

If Nancy does decide to cover a story on a missing black person it is always MINIMAL coverage.....It is usually 10 -15 mins before her show ends.

Or she MAY cover a black person 2 or 3 times a year. But Nancy NEVER spends month after month after month or year after year after year covering a black person. She does this only for white girls (ie: Natalie Holloway).

So for those of you who say Nancy does cover black people, it is minimal coverage, SO WHO IS THE BLIND ONES?.... Black people never ever get a full one hour on her show of EXTREME days on end coverage! NEVER!!!!!!

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